Welcome to Ribeirão Preto!

Hey Mommy and Daddy,

I have made it to the field. The Mission President and his wife are super nice and they fed us the best food I've had in the last 6 weeks!

My companion is Sister Hernandez, I think she's Brazilian, hahah - haven't had the time to chat a whole lot. I don't know where I will be serving, maybe here in the city, they haven't told us, or I don't think they have.

My head is about to explode.... but that's okay. So far we have just been in the mission office all day. I got here by bus and flight. We drove 2 hours to the airport and then flew for an hour.

This morning and last night was super hard to say goodbye to Kenzie, but we made it. My P-days are Monday and that's when I'll send photos. I am safe and excited and scared and at peace with being here. It's strange - I haven't felt like I was in the wrong place; I know this is where I need to be.

I love you so much and I miss you.

Love, Sister Moss

 

Week Five - Last Letter from the CTM

Hey,

 

Things are going so much better this week. The first 2 days my Portuguese was great and I felt so good about the progress I have made, and then came Wednesday and I couldn't think of any words in Portuguese or in English. It was a very bad day. YES, Mommy, I got your hug and it came at the VERY BEST moment. I had just gotten out of teaching a lesson (the one where I couldn't speak any language) and I was so frustrated and upset and Sister Fuoco appeared and said she had something for me and she wanted to speak to me in English but couldn't (hahaha) and she just gave me a great big hug and said it was from you and I just started crying! Thank you so much Mommy... It was perfect timing!

This week has been good. We have no more lessons in the CTM and tmw is our last day with our instructors - which is sad because I love them. By the way one of my instructors sent a friend request on Facebook. His name is Gaberial Fatori... 

 

Today, there's not a whole lot to do. It's a São Paulo holiday, so most things are closed, which kinda stinks. I don't know how I am getting to Ribeirão Preto. We find out tmw. Sister Munson is going to RP with me - we are the only two in the CTM that I know of going there. 

 

Temple was great today. Also, today I did a little grocery shopping. I bought shampoo and conditioner because I was out, but that's really all I needed. 

 

I don't know if they will let us (Kenzie and I) have any time Monday, we will be in the auditorio all day listening to people talk, so I might be able to sit by her then, but I don't know.

We sent you a letter on Wednesday. It should take about 2 weeks to get there, so it will be out dated but that's okay. I love you and miss you so much. 

 

Sister Moss

 

 

Week Four - Same ol', Same ol' in the CTM

A lot of questions... 

 

P-day: No we don't have specific plans and yes we wander the streets for the day! 

 

The temple: So amazing and my favorite part in going is the peace and love I feel while I'm there. It's so great that we get to go weekly. 

 

Just normal stuff here - nothing to exciting to write about. Same schedule for all the days we've been here! It's crazy to think we only have just over one week to go, I'm am so excited to get out of the CTM but I'm scared for the language part of leaving. Good news is that I have had multiple people tell me this week that my Portuguese has improved so much in this last week and they said they were proud of me, which definitely helped me hearing that. One of the people was my instructor and the other was an elder in my district. We were having a district meeting and he shared how impressed he was at how much better I have been doing because he noticed that I was struggling in the beginning! 

 

I wish I could send you pictures. I have so many to show you! 

 

My least favorite thing in the CTM is the food; it is not terrible but it's not great. It's just kind of there to eat. 

 

I am sad that I will have to say goodbye to Kenzie soon, and everyone else is sad for us as well. This week was tough for me and my companion but I am doing all I can to love her.

 

If you go back to the picture you got the first week, then the elders in my district are, 1st from left, 2nd from left, 2nd from right and one isn't in the picture. He came later that day. The sisters are 3rd from left, 3rd from right (middle row) 3rd from right, 1st on the left (bottom row). I love them all so much we are like family and it will be hard to say good bye to them. We have been blessed with a great district!! 

 

Sister Moss's CTM District

I love this language and I love when I have those rare moments where I can carry on a full conversation, other times I just stare blankly at the person talking to me. haha

Anyway I love you tons a miss you all. Have a great week. Happy Easter.

 

I  love my Savior and all that he has done for me. I am so grateful for his sacrificar for me and that he went willingly to suffer for all of us and I know through the atonement that we can be forgiven and that we will one day return to our Father in Heaven! <3 

 

Sister Moss

Week Three - New Roommates

Hello,

This week have been very chill. Not a lot has changed except I had to move!!! Crazy right, I was in a room with 5 Americans and we got a group of about 35 Brazilians so they moved us around to where I now have Brazilians as roommates which is interesting. I can't talk a lot with them but I'm trying! This will be good for me.

Also this week we went proselyting and that was so scary - I don't know Portuguese! hahah I knew that but it just confirmed my thoughts. We had 7 Books of Mormon to hand out between our companionship and we did it! It was so cool to be able to be out on the streets with the people!

Today we didn't get to go to the temple because it's been raining and the bus that takes us couldn't come and get us, so we've been hanging out at the CTM all day. Kinda nice and kinda boring at the same time! hahah It's hard to be with my companion at times because she's just like <that old friend I told yu about last week> but I have patience and I'm getting through it.

Also conference was great. So different watching as a missionary. I couldn't watch in my PJs which was sad, but that's okay. I missed your cinnamon rolls though like crazy. I was in front of Kenzie for conference and that was cool to still have family there, I filled my notepad with conference notes. I think my favorite talk was Neil L Anderson! So great. Anyway, I love you and I miss you, hope the cruise is great and I'm jealous your holding a monkey!!

Love you lots. Be safe. I pray for you all every night!

Love,

Sister Moss